Gerard Butler steps out of his hotel in the East Village neighborhood and hops into a cab on Tuesday (June 17) in New York City.

The 44-year-old actor recently chatted with the Herald Sun about how he relates to the animated character he plays in How to Train Your Dragon 2, in theaters now.

“I see a lot of me in Stoick the Vast. He’s a large character and I am a big gregarious fellow myself sometimes, so there’s that big crazy Viking with him which is that big crazy Scotsman in me,” he said.

“I often feel that one of the reasons I play those characters is because deep down I have an understanding, mythically, of what it is to try and be noble, to be courageous, to try and live like a Knights Templar or a Viking,” Gerry added. “And that part of me, which is not the part that interviewers get to see, but which is a big part of my life, I also can bring to that character.”